This book brings together twenty-plus contributors from the fields of law, economics, and international relations to look at whether the U.S. legal system is contributing to the country's long ...
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This book brings together twenty-plus contributors from the fields of law, economics, and international relations to look at whether the U.S. legal system is contributing to the country's long postwar decline. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the interactions between economics and the law in such areas as corruption, business regulation, and federalism. It explains how the U.S. legal system works differently to those in most countries, with contradictory and hard-to-understand business regulations, tort laws that vary from state to state, and surprising judicial interpretations of clearly written contracts. This imposes far heavier litigation costs on American companies and hampers economic growth.Less

The American Illness : Essays on the Rule of Law

Published in print: 2013-05-28

This book brings together twenty-plus contributors from the fields of law, economics, and international relations to look at whether the U.S. legal system is contributing to the country's long postwar decline. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the interactions between economics and the law in such areas as corruption, business regulation, and federalism. It explains how the U.S. legal system works differently to those in most countries, with contradictory and hard-to-understand business regulations, tort laws that vary from state to state, and surprising judicial interpretations of clearly written contracts. This imposes far heavier litigation costs on American companies and hampers economic growth.

Despite the centrality of separation of church and state in American government, religion has played an important role in the nation's politics from colonial times through the present day. This ...
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Despite the centrality of separation of church and state in American government, religion has played an important role in the nation's politics from colonial times through the present day. This essential anthology provides a fascinating history of religion in American politics and public life through a wide range of primary documents. It explores contentious debates over freedom, tolerance, and justice, in matters ranging from slavery to the nineteenth-century controversy over Mormon polygamy to the recent discussions concerning same-sex marriage and terrorism. Bringing together a diverse range of voices from Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and secular traditions and the words of historic personages, from Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Frances Willard to John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., this collection is an invaluable introduction to one of the most important conversations in America's history.Less

American Religion, American Politics : An Anthology

Published in print: 2017-05-30

Despite the centrality of separation of church and state in American government, religion has played an important role in the nation's politics from colonial times through the present day. This essential anthology provides a fascinating history of religion in American politics and public life through a wide range of primary documents. It explores contentious debates over freedom, tolerance, and justice, in matters ranging from slavery to the nineteenth-century controversy over Mormon polygamy to the recent discussions concerning same-sex marriage and terrorism. Bringing together a diverse range of voices from Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and secular traditions and the words of historic personages, from Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Frances Willard to John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., this collection is an invaluable introduction to one of the most important conversations in America's history.

A key figure in the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, Benjamin V. Cohen (1894–1983) was a major architect of public policy from the first days of FDR's presidency through ...
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A key figure in the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, Benjamin V. Cohen (1894–1983) was a major architect of public policy from the first days of FDR's presidency through the early days of the Cold War. Although he kept a low public profile, Cohen's influence extended across a wide range of domestic and foreign policy initiatives. This biography offers an account of Ben Cohen's life and career, and an assessment of his contribution to the origin and development of modern American liberalism. Cohen's life provides an extraordinary lens through which to view the development of the evolving political philosophy of the Roosevelt and Truman presidencies. A brilliant lawyer noted for his good judgment and experience, Cohen was a leading member of FDR's “Brain Trust,” developing ideas, drafting legislation, lobbying within the administration and in Congress, and defending the New Deal in court. The book traces his contributions to domestic financial policy, his activities during the war years in London and Washington, his service as counselor to the State Department and member of the American delegation to the United Nations after the war, and his role in the American Zionist movement. From Cohen's life and work, the book draws important insights into the development of the New Deal and the evolution of postwar liberalism.Less

Benjamin V. Cohen : Architect of the New Deal

William Lasser

Published in print: 2002-06-10

A key figure in the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, Benjamin V. Cohen (1894–1983) was a major architect of public policy from the first days of FDR's presidency through the early days of the Cold War. Although he kept a low public profile, Cohen's influence extended across a wide range of domestic and foreign policy initiatives. This biography offers an account of Ben Cohen's life and career, and an assessment of his contribution to the origin and development of modern American liberalism. Cohen's life provides an extraordinary lens through which to view the development of the evolving political philosophy of the Roosevelt and Truman presidencies. A brilliant lawyer noted for his good judgment and experience, Cohen was a leading member of FDR's “Brain Trust,” developing ideas, drafting legislation, lobbying within the administration and in Congress, and defending the New Deal in court. The book traces his contributions to domestic financial policy, his activities during the war years in London and Washington, his service as counselor to the State Department and member of the American delegation to the United Nations after the war, and his role in the American Zionist movement. From Cohen's life and work, the book draws important insights into the development of the New Deal and the evolution of postwar liberalism.

Over the coming years the question on every Russia scholar’s, policymaker’s, and military strategist’s mind will be whether a resurgent Russia will seek additional territorial expansion in Eastern ...
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Over the coming years the question on every Russia scholar’s, policymaker’s, and military strategist’s mind will be whether a resurgent Russia will seek additional territorial expansion in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet states. Since Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014 and waged a shadow war in eastern Ukraine on the pretext of protecting Russian compatriots, a reassessment of the Kremlin’s strategic and territorial objectives is due. What other countries and borders are at risk? What military and soft power tools will Russia utilize? Where is Russia likely to succeed in achieving its aims? Where will the Kremlin likely fail? Beyond Crimea: The New Russian Empire will address these questions head on. For more than two decades and particularly since the early 2000s Russia has led a consistent policy seeking to regain influence and at times territory in the post-Soviet space through leveraging Russian compatriots that reside in foreign territories bordering Russia. This book demonstrates how this policy has been implemented in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova. It will also demonstrate how Russia has been pursuing similar policies in the Baltic States, Central Asia, Belarus, Armenia, and the post-Soviet space more broadly. The book enriches the ongoing public debate on Russia’s foreign policy by providing policy and case studies analysis as well as a deeper look into the nature and the roots of Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy. Through extensive interviews, the reader is also offered a unique vantage point of the often voiceless and politicized Russian compatriots, scattered across the post-Soviet space.Less

Beyond Crimea : The New Russian Empire

Agnia Grigas

Published in print: 2016-02-16

Over the coming years the question on every Russia scholar’s, policymaker’s, and military strategist’s mind will be whether a resurgent Russia will seek additional territorial expansion in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet states. Since Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014 and waged a shadow war in eastern Ukraine on the pretext of protecting Russian compatriots, a reassessment of the Kremlin’s strategic and territorial objectives is due. What other countries and borders are at risk? What military and soft power tools will Russia utilize? Where is Russia likely to succeed in achieving its aims? Where will the Kremlin likely fail? Beyond Crimea: The New Russian Empire will address these questions head on. For more than two decades and particularly since the early 2000s Russia has led a consistent policy seeking to regain influence and at times territory in the post-Soviet space through leveraging Russian compatriots that reside in foreign territories bordering Russia. This book demonstrates how this policy has been implemented in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova. It will also demonstrate how Russia has been pursuing similar policies in the Baltic States, Central Asia, Belarus, Armenia, and the post-Soviet space more broadly. The book enriches the ongoing public debate on Russia’s foreign policy by providing policy and case studies analysis as well as a deeper look into the nature and the roots of Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy. Through extensive interviews, the reader is also offered a unique vantage point of the often voiceless and politicized Russian compatriots, scattered across the post-Soviet space.

It was believed that the Supreme Court's intervention in the 2000 election would shape American law and democracy long after George W. Bush has left the White House. This book brings together a broad ...
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It was believed that the Supreme Court's intervention in the 2000 election would shape American law and democracy long after George W. Bush has left the White House. This book brings together a broad range of preeminent legal scholars who address the larger questions raised by the Supreme Court's actions. Did the Court's decision violate the rule of law? Did it inaugurate an era of super-politicized jurisprudence? How should Bush v. Gore change the terms of debate over the next round of Supreme Court appointments?Less

Bush v. Gore : The Question of Legitimacy

Published in print: 2002-05-11

It was believed that the Supreme Court's intervention in the 2000 election would shape American law and democracy long after George W. Bush has left the White House. This book brings together a broad range of preeminent legal scholars who address the larger questions raised by the Supreme Court's actions. Did the Court's decision violate the rule of law? Did it inaugurate an era of super-politicized jurisprudence? How should Bush v. Gore change the terms of debate over the next round of Supreme Court appointments?

The distribution of incomes in South Africa in 2004, ten years after the transition to democracy, was probably more unequal than it had been under apartheid. The authors of this book explain why this ...
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The distribution of incomes in South Africa in 2004, ten years after the transition to democracy, was probably more unequal than it had been under apartheid. The authors of this book explain why this is so, offering a detailed and comprehensive analysis of inequality in South Africa from the mid-twentieth century to the early twenty-first century. They show that the basis of inequality shifted in the last decades of the twentieth century from race to class. Formal deracialization of public policy did not reduce the actual disadvantages experienced by the poor nor the advantages of the rich. The fundamental continuity in patterns of advantage and disadvantage resulted from underlying continuities in public policy, or what the authors call the “distributional regime.” The post-apartheid distributional regime continues to divide South Africans into insiders and outsiders. The insiders, now increasingly multiracial, enjoy good access to well-paid, skilled jobs; the outsiders lack skills and employment.Less

Class, Race, and Inequality in South Africa

Jeremy SeekingsNicoli Nattrass

Published in print: 2005-12-14

The distribution of incomes in South Africa in 2004, ten years after the transition to democracy, was probably more unequal than it had been under apartheid. The authors of this book explain why this is so, offering a detailed and comprehensive analysis of inequality in South Africa from the mid-twentieth century to the early twenty-first century. They show that the basis of inequality shifted in the last decades of the twentieth century from race to class. Formal deracialization of public policy did not reduce the actual disadvantages experienced by the poor nor the advantages of the rich. The fundamental continuity in patterns of advantage and disadvantage resulted from underlying continuities in public policy, or what the authors call the “distributional regime.” The post-apartheid distributional regime continues to divide South Africans into insiders and outsiders. The insiders, now increasingly multiracial, enjoy good access to well-paid, skilled jobs; the outsiders lack skills and employment.

This book offers a timely account of health reform struggles in developed democracies. The editors, leading experts in the field, have brought together a group of distinguished scholars to explore ...
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This book offers a timely account of health reform struggles in developed democracies. The editors, leading experts in the field, have brought together a group of distinguished scholars to explore the ambitions and realities of health care regulation, financing, and delivery across countries. These wide-ranging essays cover policy debates and reforms in Canada, Germany, Holland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as separate treatments of some of the most prominent issues confronting policy makers. These include primary care, hospital care, long-term care, pharmaceutical policy, and private health insurance. The authors are attentive throughout to the ways in which cross-national, comparative research may inform national policy debates not only under the Obama administration, but also across the world.Less

Comparative Studies and the Politics of Modern Medical Care

Theodore R. MarmorRichard FreemanKieke G. H. Okma

Published in print: 2009-10-13

This book offers a timely account of health reform struggles in developed democracies. The editors, leading experts in the field, have brought together a group of distinguished scholars to explore the ambitions and realities of health care regulation, financing, and delivery across countries. These wide-ranging essays cover policy debates and reforms in Canada, Germany, Holland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as separate treatments of some of the most prominent issues confronting policy makers. These include primary care, hospital care, long-term care, pharmaceutical policy, and private health insurance. The authors are attentive throughout to the ways in which cross-national, comparative research may inform national policy debates not only under the Obama administration, but also across the world.

Recent decades have witnessed the rise of social and environmental certification programs that are intended to promote responsible business practices. Consumers now encounter organic or fairtrade ...
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Recent decades have witnessed the rise of social and environmental certification programs that are intended to promote responsible business practices. Consumers now encounter organic or fairtrade labels on a variety of products, implying such desirable benefits as improved environmental conditions or more equitable market transactions. But what do we know about the origins and development of the organizations behind these labels? This book examines forest, coffee, and fishery certification programs to reveal how the early decisions of programs on governance and standards affect the path along which individual programs evolve and the variety and number of programs across sectors.Less

Graeme Auld

Published in print: 2014-10-28

Recent decades have witnessed the rise of social and environmental certification programs that are intended to promote responsible business practices. Consumers now encounter organic or fairtrade labels on a variety of products, implying such desirable benefits as improved environmental conditions or more equitable market transactions. But what do we know about the origins and development of the organizations behind these labels? This book examines forest, coffee, and fishery certification programs to reveal how the early decisions of programs on governance and standards affect the path along which individual programs evolve and the variety and number of programs across sectors.

This book compares the freedoms and protections of members of the United States Congress with those of Britain's Parliament. Placing legislative privilege in historical context, the book explores how ...
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This book compares the freedoms and protections of members of the United States Congress with those of Britain's Parliament. Placing legislative privilege in historical context, the book explores how and why legislators in Britain and America have been granted special privileges in five areas: jurisdictional conflicts between the courts and the legislative houses, freedom of speech, freedom from civil arrest, contested elections, and the disciplinary powers of the houses. Legislative privilege is a crucial component of the relationship between a representative body and the other participants in government, including the people. In recounting and analyzing the remarkable story of how parliamentary government emerged and evolved in Britain and how it crossed the Atlantic, the book illuminates a variety of important constitutional issues, including the separation of powers, the nature of representation, and the difference between written and unwritten constitutionalism.Less

Democracy's Privileged Few : Legislative Privilege and Democratic Norms in the British and American Constitutions

Josh Chafetz

Published in print: 2007-02-28

This book compares the freedoms and protections of members of the United States Congress with those of Britain's Parliament. Placing legislative privilege in historical context, the book explores how and why legislators in Britain and America have been granted special privileges in five areas: jurisdictional conflicts between the courts and the legislative houses, freedom of speech, freedom from civil arrest, contested elections, and the disciplinary powers of the houses. Legislative privilege is a crucial component of the relationship between a representative body and the other participants in government, including the people. In recounting and analyzing the remarkable story of how parliamentary government emerged and evolved in Britain and how it crossed the Atlantic, the book illuminates a variety of important constitutional issues, including the separation of powers, the nature of representation, and the difference between written and unwritten constitutionalism.

Climate change, economic pressures, and shifting geopolitical balances promise unprecedented challenges to the preservation of polar environments and the sustainability of Arctic communities. This ...
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Climate change, economic pressures, and shifting geopolitical balances promise unprecedented challenges to the preservation of polar environments and the sustainability of Arctic communities. This volume brings together experts in the Arctic and Antarctic to approach questions about polar governance, environmental protection, and human rights from new perspectives. The emphasis is on cooperation, not conflict, and the use of creative means of diplomacy to build sustainable and adaptive governance structures that will permit the polar regions to survive the challenges of climate change. The first section of the book addresses legal structures and governance; the second focuses on development, particularly of energy, and security; the third section tackles the complexity of community and human rights. Taken together, the contributions in this volume illustrate the multifaceted challenge facing policymakers and stakeholders who seek to ensure that the future of the polar regions is characterized by peace and stewardship.Less

Diplomacy on Ice : Energy and the Environment in the Arctic and Antarctic

Published in print: 2015-01-13

Climate change, economic pressures, and shifting geopolitical balances promise unprecedented challenges to the preservation of polar environments and the sustainability of Arctic communities. This volume brings together experts in the Arctic and Antarctic to approach questions about polar governance, environmental protection, and human rights from new perspectives. The emphasis is on cooperation, not conflict, and the use of creative means of diplomacy to build sustainable and adaptive governance structures that will permit the polar regions to survive the challenges of climate change. The first section of the book addresses legal structures and governance; the second focuses on development, particularly of energy, and security; the third section tackles the complexity of community and human rights. Taken together, the contributions in this volume illustrate the multifaceted challenge facing policymakers and stakeholders who seek to ensure that the future of the polar regions is characterized by peace and stewardship.

Western struggles — and failures — to create functioning states in countries such as Iraq or Afghanistan have inspired questions about whether statebuilding projects are at all viable, or whether ...
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Western struggles — and failures — to create functioning states in countries such as Iraq or Afghanistan have inspired questions about whether statebuilding projects are at all viable, or whether they make the lives of their intended beneficiaries better or worse. This book asks why statebuilding has been so hard to achieve, and argues that a large part of the problem has been Westerners' failure to understand or engage with what local people actually want and need. It interrogates the liberal peacebuilding industry, asking what it assumes, what it is getting wrong, and how it could be more effective.Less

Failed Statebuilding : Intervention, the State, and the Dynamics of Peace Formation

Oliver Richmond

Published in print: 2014-11-25

Western struggles — and failures — to create functioning states in countries such as Iraq or Afghanistan have inspired questions about whether statebuilding projects are at all viable, or whether they make the lives of their intended beneficiaries better or worse. This book asks why statebuilding has been so hard to achieve, and argues that a large part of the problem has been Westerners' failure to understand or engage with what local people actually want and need. It interrogates the liberal peacebuilding industry, asking what it assumes, what it is getting wrong, and how it could be more effective.

The Montreal Protocol has been cited as the most successful global agreement, responsible for phasing out the use of ozone-depleting substances. However, this book argues that the Montreal Protocol ...
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The Montreal Protocol has been cited as the most successful global agreement, responsible for phasing out the use of ozone-depleting substances. However, this book argues that the Montreal Protocol has failed—largely because of neoliberal ideals involving economic protectionism, but also due to the protection of the legitimacy of certain forms of scientific knowledge. The book traces the rise of a new form of disagreement between global powers, members of the scientific community, civil society, and agro-industry groups, leaving efforts to push for environmental protection relatively ineffective.Less

From Precaution to Profit : Contemporary Challenges to Environmental Protection in the Montreal Protocol

Brian J. Gareau

Published in print: 2013-01-29

The Montreal Protocol has been cited as the most successful global agreement, responsible for phasing out the use of ozone-depleting substances. However, this book argues that the Montreal Protocol has failed—largely because of neoliberal ideals involving economic protectionism, but also due to the protection of the legitimacy of certain forms of scientific knowledge. The book traces the rise of a new form of disagreement between global powers, members of the scientific community, civil society, and agro-industry groups, leaving efforts to push for environmental protection relatively ineffective.

The Internet has transformed the manner in which information is exchanged and business is conducted, arguably more than any other communication development in the past century. Despite its wide reach ...
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The Internet has transformed the manner in which information is exchanged and business is conducted, arguably more than any other communication development in the past century. Despite its wide reach and powerful global influence, it is a medium uncontrolled by any one centralized system, organization, or governing body, a reality that has given rise to all manner of free-speech issues and cybersecurity concerns. The conflicts surrounding Internet governance are the new spaces where political and economic power is unfolding in the twenty-first century. This book reveals the inner power structure already in place within the architectures and institutions of Internet governance. It provides a theoretical framework for Internet governance that takes into account the privatization of global power as well as the role of sovereign nations and international treaties. In addition, the book explores what is at stake in open global controversies and stresses the responsibility of the public to actively engage in these debates, because Internet governance will ultimately determine Internet freedom.Less

The Global War for Internet Governance

Laura DeNardis

Published in print: 2014-01-14

The Internet has transformed the manner in which information is exchanged and business is conducted, arguably more than any other communication development in the past century. Despite its wide reach and powerful global influence, it is a medium uncontrolled by any one centralized system, organization, or governing body, a reality that has given rise to all manner of free-speech issues and cybersecurity concerns. The conflicts surrounding Internet governance are the new spaces where political and economic power is unfolding in the twenty-first century. This book reveals the inner power structure already in place within the architectures and institutions of Internet governance. It provides a theoretical framework for Internet governance that takes into account the privatization of global power as well as the role of sovereign nations and international treaties. In addition, the book explores what is at stake in open global controversies and stresses the responsibility of the public to actively engage in these debates, because Internet governance will ultimately determine Internet freedom.

The “two-state solution” is the official policy of Israel, the United States, the United Nations, and the Palestinian Authority alike. However, this book argues that Israel's “state-building” process ...
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The “two-state solution” is the official policy of Israel, the United States, the United Nations, and the Palestinian Authority alike. However, this book argues that Israel's “state-building” process has never risen above the level of municipal governance, and its goal has never been Palestinian independence. It explains that a coherent Palestinian state has already been rendered an impossibility and, to move forward, Palestine must redefine its present predicament and future aspirations. The book covers the history of Palestine, the process and consequences of Palestine's territorial dismemberment and its subjugation by Israel, the reconstruction of the Palestinian nation, and the Palestinian efforts at state-building. Based on detailed fieldwork, exhaustive scholarship, and an in-depth examination of historical sources, this controversial book will be widely read and debated by all sides.Less

The Impossibility of Palestine : History, Geography, and the Road Ahead

Mehran Kamrava

Published in print: 2016-04-26

The “two-state solution” is the official policy of Israel, the United States, the United Nations, and the Palestinian Authority alike. However, this book argues that Israel's “state-building” process has never risen above the level of municipal governance, and its goal has never been Palestinian independence. It explains that a coherent Palestinian state has already been rendered an impossibility and, to move forward, Palestine must redefine its present predicament and future aspirations. The book covers the history of Palestine, the process and consequences of Palestine's territorial dismemberment and its subjugation by Israel, the reconstruction of the Palestinian nation, and the Palestinian efforts at state-building. Based on detailed fieldwork, exhaustive scholarship, and an in-depth examination of historical sources, this controversial book will be widely read and debated by all sides.

What kind of job has America's routinely disparaged legislative body actually done? This book provides an insightful historical analysis of the U.S. Congress's performance from the late eighteenth ...
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What kind of job has America's routinely disparaged legislative body actually done? This book provides an insightful historical analysis of the U.S. Congress's performance from the late eighteenth century to today, exploring what its lasting imprint has been on American politics and society. The book offers a unique perspective on the evaluation of the American constitutional system. It suggests that Congress has balanced the presidency in a surprising variety of ways, and in doing so, it has contributed to the legitimacy of a governing system faced by an often fractious public. The book will be of interest for anyone interested in American political and policy history.Less

The Imprint of Congress

David R. Mayhew

Published in print: 2017-05-23

What kind of job has America's routinely disparaged legislative body actually done? This book provides an insightful historical analysis of the U.S. Congress's performance from the late eighteenth century to today, exploring what its lasting imprint has been on American politics and society. The book offers a unique perspective on the evaluation of the American constitutional system. It suggests that Congress has balanced the presidency in a surprising variety of ways, and in doing so, it has contributed to the legitimacy of a governing system faced by an often fractious public. The book will be of interest for anyone interested in American political and policy history.

This book tells two stories. First, it shows that rising income inequality played a major role in causing the financial crisis and Great Recession of 2008-2009. While others have argued that rising, ...
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This book tells two stories. First, it shows that rising income inequality played a major role in causing the financial crisis and Great Recession of 2008-2009. While others have argued that rising, indeed surging, household debt in the 1990s and 2000s contributed to the financial collapse, none have related rising household debt to the dramatic rise in income inequality. The rise in household debt was not the result of a rash of luxury, but instead was the effort to maintain consumption despite stagnant incomes. Part of that effort is reflected in the unprecedented drop in the rate of saving from around 10 percent to near zero. It is also reflected in the sharp rise of relative spending on three necessities of a middle class lifestyle -- housing, education, and health. Some of that jump in relative spending was brought about by steep price increases. Their prices were bid up by those whose incomes had skyrocketed. Thus to the usual suspects causing the recession–unsustainable residential mortgage debt, low interest rates, predatory lending and the housing price bubble–income inequality must be included. The second story is that mainstream economists have misunderstood the causes of the recession because they have adhered to a macroeconomic theory that ignores the role of income distribution. Mainstream economic theory maintains that inequality has no impact on macroeconomic outcomes. That view is incorrect and led most economists to ignore the serious consequences of rising inequality, despite the striking parallel with the Great Depression.Less

Income Inequality : Why It Matters and Why Most Economists Didn't Notice

Matthew P Drennan

Published in print: 2015-11-24

This book tells two stories. First, it shows that rising income inequality played a major role in causing the financial crisis and Great Recession of 2008-2009. While others have argued that rising, indeed surging, household debt in the 1990s and 2000s contributed to the financial collapse, none have related rising household debt to the dramatic rise in income inequality. The rise in household debt was not the result of a rash of luxury, but instead was the effort to maintain consumption despite stagnant incomes. Part of that effort is reflected in the unprecedented drop in the rate of saving from around 10 percent to near zero. It is also reflected in the sharp rise of relative spending on three necessities of a middle class lifestyle -- housing, education, and health. Some of that jump in relative spending was brought about by steep price increases. Their prices were bid up by those whose incomes had skyrocketed. Thus to the usual suspects causing the recession–unsustainable residential mortgage debt, low interest rates, predatory lending and the housing price bubble–income inequality must be included. The second story is that mainstream economists have misunderstood the causes of the recession because they have adhered to a macroeconomic theory that ignores the role of income distribution. Mainstream economic theory maintains that inequality has no impact on macroeconomic outcomes. That view is incorrect and led most economists to ignore the serious consequences of rising inequality, despite the striking parallel with the Great Depression.

Introductory textbooks on American government tell us that the Supreme Court is independent from the elected branches and that independent courts better protect rights than their more deferential ...
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Introductory textbooks on American government tell us that the Supreme Court is independent from the elected branches and that independent courts better protect rights than their more deferential counterparts. But are these facts or myths? This book reports evidence showing that the Supreme Court is in fact extraordinarily deferential to Congressional preferences in its constitutional rulings. Analyzing cross-national evidence, the book also finds that the rights protections enjoyed in the United States appear to be largely due to the fact that there is not an independent Supreme Court. In fact, there would likely be even greater protections for political and economic rights were the federal courts to be prohibited from exercising judicial review altogether. This book's findings suggest that constitutional designers would be wise to heed Thomas Jefferson's advice to “let mercy be the character of the law-giver, but let the judge be a mere machine.”Less

A Mere Machine : The Supreme Court, Congress, and American Democracy

Anna Harvey

Published in print: 2013-11-26

Introductory textbooks on American government tell us that the Supreme Court is independent from the elected branches and that independent courts better protect rights than their more deferential counterparts. But are these facts or myths? This book reports evidence showing that the Supreme Court is in fact extraordinarily deferential to Congressional preferences in its constitutional rulings. Analyzing cross-national evidence, the book also finds that the rights protections enjoyed in the United States appear to be largely due to the fact that there is not an independent Supreme Court. In fact, there would likely be even greater protections for political and economic rights were the federal courts to be prohibited from exercising judicial review altogether. This book's findings suggest that constitutional designers would be wise to heed Thomas Jefferson's advice to “let mercy be the character of the law-giver, but let the judge be a mere machine.”

Which get-out-the-vote efforts actually succeed in ethnoracial communities and why? Analyzing the results from hundreds of original experiments, this book offers a new theory to explain why some ...
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Which get-out-the-vote efforts actually succeed in ethnoracial communities and why? Analyzing the results from hundreds of original experiments, this book offers a new theory to explain why some methods work while others do not. Exploring and comparing a wide variety of efforts targeting ethnoracial voters, the authors present a new theoretical frame—the Social Cognition Model of voting, based on an individual's sense of civic identity—for understanding get-out-the-vote effectiveness. This book will serve as a useful guide for political practitioners, for it offers concrete strategies to employ in developing future mobilization efforts.Less

Lisa Garcia BedollaMelissa R. Michelson

Published in print: 2012-10-09

Which get-out-the-vote efforts actually succeed in ethnoracial communities and why? Analyzing the results from hundreds of original experiments, this book offers a new theory to explain why some methods work while others do not. Exploring and comparing a wide variety of efforts targeting ethnoracial voters, the authors present a new theoretical frame—the Social Cognition Model of voting, based on an individual's sense of civic identity—for understanding get-out-the-vote effectiveness. This book will serve as a useful guide for political practitioners, for it offers concrete strategies to employ in developing future mobilization efforts.

People's capacity to give meaning and direction to social life is an essential dimension of political freedom. Yet many citizens of Western democracies believe that this freedom has become quite ...
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People's capacity to give meaning and direction to social life is an essential dimension of political freedom. Yet many citizens of Western democracies believe that this freedom has become quite restricted. They feel they are at the mercy of anonymous structures and processes over which they have little control, structures and processes that present them with options and realities they might not have chosen if they had any real choice. As a result, political interest declines and political cynicism flourishes. The underlying cause of the powerlessness pervading the current political system could be modernization. Taking the work of Max Weber, Karl Mannheim, and Joseph Schumpeter as a point of departure, this book examines this process. The topics covered are, among others, the meaning of modernization, the forces that drive it, and, especially, the consequences of modernization for the political freedom of citizens to influence the course of their society via democratic politics.Less

Modernization and Its Political Consequences : Weber, Mannheim, and Schumpeter

Hans Blokland

Published in print: 2006-11-15

People's capacity to give meaning and direction to social life is an essential dimension of political freedom. Yet many citizens of Western democracies believe that this freedom has become quite restricted. They feel they are at the mercy of anonymous structures and processes over which they have little control, structures and processes that present them with options and realities they might not have chosen if they had any real choice. As a result, political interest declines and political cynicism flourishes. The underlying cause of the powerlessness pervading the current political system could be modernization. Taking the work of Max Weber, Karl Mannheim, and Joseph Schumpeter as a point of departure, this book examines this process. The topics covered are, among others, the meaning of modernization, the forces that drive it, and, especially, the consequences of modernization for the political freedom of citizens to influence the course of their society via democratic politics.

This book offers a thought-provoking meditation on the art of democratic rule: how does a government persuade the people to accept its authority? Every government must make unpopular demands of its ...
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This book offers a thought-provoking meditation on the art of democratic rule: how does a government persuade the people to accept its authority? Every government must make unpopular demands of its citizens, from levying taxes to enforcing laws and monitoring compliance to regulations. The challenge, this book argues, is that power is not enough; the populace must also be willing to be led. The book addresses this political conundrum unabashedly, using the United States and Britain as his prime examples, providing sharp opinions and cogent analyses on how the culture of national obedience is created and nurtured. It explores the paths leaders must choose if they wish to govern by authority rather than power, or, as the philosopher Immanuel Kant put it, to “maintain order in a nation of devils.”Less

Nation of Devils : Democratic Leadership and the Problem of Obedience

Stein Ringen

Published in print: 2013-09-24

This book offers a thought-provoking meditation on the art of democratic rule: how does a government persuade the people to accept its authority? Every government must make unpopular demands of its citizens, from levying taxes to enforcing laws and monitoring compliance to regulations. The challenge, this book argues, is that power is not enough; the populace must also be willing to be led. The book addresses this political conundrum unabashedly, using the United States and Britain as his prime examples, providing sharp opinions and cogent analyses on how the culture of national obedience is created and nurtured. It explores the paths leaders must choose if they wish to govern by authority rather than power, or, as the philosopher Immanuel Kant put it, to “maintain order in a nation of devils.”

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